Mark Tkaciuk

Mark Tkachuk (also Tkaciuk; born 26 September 1966) is a Moldovan politician, historian, archaeologist, and anthropologist. He is a former member of the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova and has been active in Moldova's political and academic life.

Biography

Tkachuk was born in 1966 in Soroca, Moldavian SSR, grow up in Elizavetovca village on Dondușeni rayon. His father, Yevgeny, is of Ukrainian descent was a journalist, and his mother, Azniv, is of Armenian- Hemshin origin. He graduated from the History Faculty at the State University of Moldova and later pursued further studies at the Russian Academy of Sciences (1992–1994). During this period, he was affiliated with the far-left Confederation of Anarcho-Syndicalists.

Political career

Tkachuk joined the Party of Communists of the Republic of Moldova (PCRM) in the early 2000s and became Domestic Policy Advisor to President Vladimir Voronin from 2001 to 2008. He played a central role in modernizing the PCRM and negotiating the party's accession to the Party of the European Left. Tkachuk is known for his support for Moldova's integration into the Eurasian Union and fostering strong ties with Russia, positions that have drawn both support and criticism.

In 2005 and 2006, VIP Magazine included Tkachuk in the list of "most influential Moldovans," ranking 11th and 6th, respectively.

After 2009, as the PCRM entered the opposition, Tkachuk began advocating for reforms within the party, focusing on turning it into a more modern, European-left party. He became known as the "grey eminence" of the party due to his influential role, until his departure in 2014. Tkachuk announced his withdrawal from politics in the same year.

Tkachuk returned to politics in 2019, co-founding the Collective Action Party – Civic Congress alongside Iurie Muntean. The party promotes left-wing, civil-labour oriented policies and has been moderate critical of both the pro-European and pro-Russian political agendas, focusing on issues such as social-market and responsible modernization.

He supported Alexander Stoianoglo in the presidential election in 2024.

In 2025, Tkachuk, along with Ion Chicu, Alexander Stoianoglo, and Ion Ceban, announced the foundation of the political pro-eurointegration bloc "Alternativa."

Academic contributions

Tkachuk founded the High Anthropological School in 1998, which provided education in history, archaeology, and STEM fields. At the same time, he became the chief editor of Stratum Plus, a Q1-rated academic journal specializing in history and archaeolog

His conducted archaeological excavations in numerous locations throughout Moldova, organized the first grave archaeological excavation in Chișinău. As well as participating in projects in Ukraine and Bulgaria.

In 2016, he established the public academic Library of Civilization, named after Marc Bloch, which started with a foundation of 50,000 books. Some of the world’s leading specialists in the archaeology of the region donated their archives to the library. For example, :de:Bernhard_Hänsel, Bernhard Hänsel, a professor from the Free University of Berlin, bequeathed 1,000 books to the library posthumously. The library is known for holding various meetings, conferences and think tank formats.

In 2018 released the first audio guide on Moldova based on historical works.

Mark Tkachuk created a historical film series in collaboration with Newsmaker as part of the 2019 special project "Общий язык" (Common Language). The series explores Moldova's unpredictable past, covering periods from the Stone Age to the 14th century AD.

* The first episode, "Two Humanities", examines the encounter between Neanderthals and Homo sapiens approximately 50,000 years ago.
* The second episode "66 Generations", focuses on the Cucuteni-Tripolian civilization, one of the most advanced prehistoric cultures in Europe.
* The third episode, "There Are Strange Convergences", explores the cultural intersections and conflicts between Scythians, Thracian, Getae, and Greeks in the northern Black Sea region during the first millennium BC.

He established a new Faculty of Social Sciences at the High Anthropological School in collaboration with Manchester University and Shaninka, but, due to the political crisis stemming from oligarchic state capture and the subsequent impact of COVID-19, the project fell apart in its final stages.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tkachuk, Mark
People from Soroca
Moldovan communists
Recipients of the Order of Honour (Moldova)
Party of Communists of the Republic of Moldova politicians
20th-century Moldovan historians
Moldovan archaeologists
Moldovan people of Ukrainian descent
Moldovan people of Armenian descent
Moldova State University alumni
Anti-fascists
1966 births
Living people
Moldovan MPs 2001–2005
Moldovan MPs 2005–2009
Moldovan MPs 2009
Moldovan MPs 2009–2010
Moldovan MPs 2010–2014